Sometimes…

It appears that Tampax has not taken Kotex U‘s pretty ingenious marketing campaign lightly.

Apparently, the reason people are buying Kotex is because of the cute little black box! And yes, that is part of the appeal — Kotex has acknowledged that aesthetics matter, and they do. They’ve shaped part of their campaign around the concept of “redesigning feminine care“, and brought sassy Patricia Field on board. But most of the excitement has come from Kotex’s ability to profit off of the idiocy of previous tampon campaigns.

The irony of this ad is that Kotex has wrapped their entire campaign around the idea that traditional tampon advertising has nothing to do with what it’s actually like when a woman has her period, specifically, that she definitely does not want to run around in tiny, white clothing.

And part of the reason Kotex is doing so well, spurring Tampax to put out this boring and defensive ad, is that their website is actually helpful. Most importantly, they’re giving girls education and agency, instead of putting copy on their website like this:

“You’re already the go-to gal for advice about everything from hot guys to favorite jams. Why not use that good taste to help other girls by dishing what you like and dislike about Tampax?”

At the end of the day, Tampax is probably just bitter and angry that the coolest thing they have going for them is the character of “Mother Nature” who is always lurking just around the corner.